Smithsonian Cargo Cult article - now on-line! - General Tiki

H hodadhank Member Mission Beach, CA Joined: Dec 28, 2005 Posts: 1689	H hodadhank Posted posted on Sat, Feb 4, 2006 9:11 AM Maybe they spit in it when you weren't looking! Here are three separate references copied from three separate websites mentioning the traditional mastication process for Kava. Human saliva apparently activates the Kavalactones thus increasing the drinks narcotic effect. Ain't Google great? -In Schubel's investigations as reported in 1924, he found that kava resin administered in large enough doses could produce temporary paralysis of sensory nerves and smooth muscle. Interestingly, Schubel also made a discovery that supported the mastication of kava as the most effective means of preparation. In experiments conducted with frog hearts, he discovered that kava extract was more potent if made from root that had been incubated with saliva. He speculated that the starch digesting enzyme (ptyalin) in saliva more effectively liberated the resinous compounds from the root, thus yielding a stronger extract. -On Tanna Island the pulpy kava root is washed and cut then chewed by boys and young men into a pulp and spat into a coconut fiber 'cloth'. The juice is then squeezed out and drunk. It is thought in some places that the saliva from these - often virginal - young men adds some active chemical component to the kava, enhancing its effects. Kava certainly does vary in strength, but mostly because of its age (the older, the stronger). Dilution with water also reduces its effects. -The time-honored way of activating the drugs is still the most effective - pieces of the dried woodstock are chewed until they are reduced to a soft, pulpy mass. This is spit into a wooden bowl, mixed with water or coconut milk, and kneaded by hand. After a few hours of fermentation, the solids are strained out and the liquid is drunk. The rootstocks are seldom chewed nowadays. They are simply pulverized, mixed with water or coconut milk, and filtered out. The result is a popular beverage, drunk by men and women alike, that has a stimulating, tonic effect but lacks the narcotic power of the chewed product. [ Edited by: hodadhank 2006-02-04 09:15 ]

Maybe they spit in it when you weren't looking!

Here are three separate references copied from three separate websites mentioning the traditional mastication process for Kava. Human saliva apparently activates the Kavalactones thus increasing the drinks narcotic effect.

Ain't Google great?

-In Schubel's investigations as reported in 1924, he found that kava resin administered in large enough doses could produce temporary paralysis of sensory nerves and smooth muscle. Interestingly, Schubel also made a discovery that supported the mastication of kava as the most effective means of preparation. In experiments conducted with frog hearts, he discovered that kava extract was more potent if made from root that had been incubated with saliva. He speculated that the starch digesting enzyme (ptyalin) in saliva more effectively liberated the resinous compounds from the root, thus yielding a stronger extract.

-On Tanna Island the pulpy kava root is washed and cut then chewed by boys and young men into a pulp and spat into a coconut fiber 'cloth'. The juice is then squeezed out and drunk. It is thought in some places that the saliva from these - often virginal - young men adds some active chemical component to the kava, enhancing its effects. Kava certainly does vary in strength, but mostly because of its age (the older, the stronger). Dilution with water also reduces its effects.

-The time-honored way of activating the drugs is still the most effective - pieces of the dried woodstock are chewed until they are reduced to a soft, pulpy mass. This is spit into a wooden bowl, mixed with water or coconut milk, and kneaded by hand. After a few hours of fermentation, the solids are strained out and the liquid is drunk. The rootstocks are seldom chewed nowadays. They are simply pulverized, mixed with water or coconut milk, and filtered out. The result is a popular beverage, drunk by men and women alike, that has a stimulating, tonic effect but lacks the narcotic power of the chewed product.

[ Edited by: hodadhank 2006-02-04 09:15 ]

Post #212617 by hodadhank on Sat, Feb 4, 2006 9:11 AM